Gas lighter



July 4, 1967 L. REIM 3,

GAS LIGHTER Filed March 18, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 4, 1967 L, EM 3,328,980

GAS LIGHTER Filed March 18, 1965 v 5 sheets-Sheet 2 (LL! I v 17777 United States Patent 3,328,980 GAS LIGHTER Ludwig Reirn, Nurnberg, Germany, assignor to Gebruder Kollisch AG., Nurnberg, Germany Filed Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 440,811 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 19, 1964,

K 52,435 1 Claims. (Cl. 67-7.1)

The present invention relates to a lighter and, more specifically, a gas lighter having a tank for liquid butane gas and being equipped with a filling valve and a burner valve.

It is an object of this invention to provide a lighter of the above mentioned type which can be fully operated with one hand.

It is another object of this invention to provide a one-hand operable lighter in which all actuating elements are located adjacent to each other.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a simple one-hand operable lighter which is easy to operate and inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a lighter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the lighter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows the lighterof FIG. 1 with the lower portion of the lighter wall sectioned to illustrate the lighter bottom construction.

FIG. 4 illustrates on a somewhat larger scale than FIGS. 1 to 3 a longitudinal section through the head of the lighter according to the invention, said section being taken along the line IVIV of FIG. 5 and shows the lighter head in its ineffective position.

FIG. 4a is a section similar to that of FIG. 4 but showing the lighter head in its effective or burning position.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 4a but with the top cap removed, the lighter being in its ineffective position.

FIG. 6 is a top view similar to that of FIG. 5 but showing the lighter in its effective or burning position.

FIG. '7 is a section taken along the line VIIVII of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 shows a housing with a magnet for receiving the lighter according to the invention.

The lighter according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that for purposes of controlling the burner valve, it is equipped with a combination pressure key switch which for purposes of actuating a nozzle lifter comprises a pressure key preferably equipped with a return spring. This pressure key has associated therewith a resilient locking stop key provided with a recess for a locking member. A lighter according to the present invention is furthermore characterized in that the pressure keys are arranged at the outer circumference of the lighter housing in close relationship to each other while within the range of said pressure keys there is provided a flint actuating member. The mechanism just mentioned is covered by a removable cap having an opening for the flame.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the lighter shown therein comprises a tank 1 having a bottom plate 3 on which is mounted a filling valve 2 which is welded to the tank bottom plate, for instance by rotation welding. The lighter is furthermore provided. with a protective cap 4 which covers the control mechanism to be described in detail further below. Recess 6 is provided ice in cooperation with a spring nose 7 on tank body 1 to locate and guide cap 4 with regard to the tank body 1. Recess 8 is intended to accommodate a button 11 for actuating the ignition means. Recess 9 accommodates the pressure key 12 for a nozzle lifter 13, and recess 10 is provided for the outer end of a stop lever 14.

Nozzle lifter 13 is adapted to actuate the burner nozzle 15, e.g. in a manner and for the purpose disclosed in assignees copending application Ser. No. 385,408, filed July 27, 1964 (inventor Projahn). Pressure key 12 has a flange 20 the lower surface 16 of which is adapted to engage the outer end of nozzle lifter 13. Pressure key 12 has furthermore connected to the bottom side 16 of flange 20 a guiding bolt 17 which is guided in a bore 18 of tank body 1. Arranged in the bottom of bore 18 is a spring 19 which acts upon bolt 17 and through the latter continuously urges flange 20 into engagement with the bottom surface 21 of a head plate 22. Head plate 22 has an opening 23, for instance of square cross section for slidably receiving a correspondingly shaped extension 24 connected to flange 20 of pressure key 12. As will be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, extension 24 will, in FIG. 4 position of the drawing, extend into an opening 25 (see also FIG. 5) of stop lever 14. As will also be seen from the drawing, stop lever 14 has connected thereto a bolt 26 (FIGS. 4 to 6) extending upwardly and downwardly from said stop lever 14. Bolt 26 has a double purpose inasmuch as its upper portion serves as abutment for one end of a spring 27 which continuously urges stop lever 14 to move in clockwise direction from its FIG. 5 position to its FIG. 6 position. The lower end of bolt 26 is guided in a guiding slot 34 of head plate 22 to prevent stop lever 14 from swinging out about the axis of pivot 29 beyond the periphery of lighter 1 thereby permitting the mounting of protective cap 4. The other end 27a of spring 27 engages bolt 28 carried by head plate 22 so as to anchor the said spring end 27a.

As will be seen from FIG. 7, head plate 22 has an upwardly extending wall or flag 30 with a slot 31 for guiding stop lever 14.

OPERATION In order to operate the lighter according to the present invention, first key 12 is pushed downwardly. As a result thereof, locking extension or tooth 24 is withdrawn from opening 25 of stop lever 14 so that spring 27 turns lever 14 outwardly in clockwise direction. This position is shown in FIG. 6. In this way, the return of key '12 is blocked. When key 12 is moved downwardly, its surface 16 presses arm 13' of nozzle lifter 13 downwardly so that end 13" of lever 14 engages and lifts nozzle 15 so that the latter is opened. The next operation consists in the actuation of the element 11 which latter acts upon ignition wheel 11a so as to cause the same to strike a spark from flint F until a flame 35 is formed (FIG. 1). After the flame has served its purpose, stop lever 14 is pressed inwardly whereupon spring 19 presses pressure key 12 upwardly and thus pushes the extension member or square head 24 again int-o opening 25 of stop lever 14. Lever 14 will in this way again be held in its locking position shown in FIG. 5. The lighter according to the invention is then in its ineffective position and ready for the next use. The lighter according to the present invention due to its one-hand operation is particularly practical for use in a motor car so that the driver can keep one hand on the steering wheel. When used in a car, the lighter may be removably inserted in a housing 33 with a magnet 33a which will hold housing 33 at any convenient place on the metal dashboard or other metallic wall portion of the car.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A gas lighter, especially cigarette lighter, having a burner valve with a liftable nozzle and also having lifter means operatively connected to said nozzle and movable from an ineffective position to an effective position to thereby lift said nozzle from an ineffective position to an effective position, which includes: a fuel tank supporting said burner valve, housing means mounted on said tank and encasing said burner valve, first manually operable means mounted on said tank and arranged inside said housing means and having means outside the housing for selectively moving said first manually operable means from a first position to a second position, said first manually operable means being operatively connected to said lifter means so as to move said lifter means and said nozzle from their ineffective position to their effective position upon movement of said first manually operable means from its said first to its said second position, spring means biasing said first manually operable means toward its said first position, blocking means mounted on said tank arranged Within said housing adjacent said first manually operable means and adapted in response to said first manually operable means moving to its second position to move into position to block first said first manually operable means in its said second position, second spring means biasing said blocking means toward blocking position, and second manually operable means connected to said blocking means and operable from the outside of said housing means for moving said blocking means out of blocking position to permit said first manually operable means to return to its first position and to thereby permit said lifter means and said nozzle means to return to their ineffective position.

2. A gas lighter according to claim 1, in which said first and second manually operable means respectively include first and second manually operable pushbutton means arranged on the outside of said housing means adjacent each other, said lighter also including an ignition 4 wheel and actuating means for the latter arranged on the outside of said housing near said first and second pushbutton means.

3. A lighter according to claim 1, in which said blocking means comprises a lever pivoted to said housing and having a passage therethrough, said first manually operable means comprising extension means which is received in said passage means when said blocking means is out of blocking position and said first manually operable means is in its said first position, said extension means being drawn out of said passage means when said first manually operable means is moved into its said second position so said second spring means will move said lever into position to engage said extension means and block said first manually operable means in its said second position.

4. A gas lighter according to claim 3 in which said tank includes supporting means on the upper end supporting said first manually operable means and said lever, said lever having a pin projecting from the bottom, and said supporting means having a slot receiving said pin so as to limit the pivotal movement of said lever on said supporting means.

5. A gas lighter according to claim 4 in which said supporting means comprises a wall portion overlying said lever to support the lever against the thrust of said first spring means when said lever is in blocking position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,019,434 10/1935 Reilly 67-7.1 2,679,740 8/1954 Seletzky 67-4.1 2,743,597 5/1956 Newman 67--7.1 3,063,276 11/1962 Cassan 67-7.1 3,122,907 3/ 1964 Gilberton 677.1 3,236,071 2/1966 Smith 67-7.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 305,233 8/ 1929 Great Britain.

EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A GAS LIGHTER, ESPECIALLY CIGARETTE LIGHTER, HAVING A BURNER VALVE WITH A LIFTABLE NOZZLE AND ALSO HAVING LIFTER MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID NOZZLE AND MOVABLE FROM AN INEFFECTIVE POSITION TO AN EFFECTIVE POSITION TO THEREBY LIFT SAID NOZZLE FROM AN INEFFECTIVE POSITION TO AN EFFECTIVE POSITION, WHICH INCLUDES: A FUEL TANK SUPPORTING SAID BURNER VALVE, HOUSING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TANK AND ENCASING SAID BURNER VALVE, FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TANK AND ARRANGED INSIDE SAID HOUSING MEANS AND HAVING MEANS OUTSIDE THE HOUSING FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FROM A FIRST POSITION TO A SECOND POSITION, SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID LIFTER MEANS SO AS TO MOVE SAID LIFTER MEANS AND SAID NOZZLE FROM THEIR INEFFECTIVE POSITION TO THEIR EFFECTIVE POSITION UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FROM ITS SAID FIRST TO ITS SAID SECOND POSITION, SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS TOWARD ITS SAID FIRST POSITION, BLOCKING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TANK ARRANGED WITHIN SAID HOUSING ADJACENT SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS AND ADAPTED IN RESPONSE TO SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS MOVING TO ITS SECOND POSITION TO MOVE INTO POSITION TO BLOCK FIRST SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS IN ITS SAID SECOND POSITION, SECOND SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID BLOCKING MEANS TOWARD BLOCKING POSITION, AND SECOND MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID BLOCKING MEANS AND OPERABLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID HOUSING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BLOCKING MEANS OUT OF BLOCKING POSITION TO PERMIT SAID FIRST MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS TO RETURN TO ITS FIRST POSITION AND TO THEREBY PERMIT SAID LIFTER MEANS AND SAID NOZZLE MEANS TO RETURN TO THEIR INEFFECTIVE POSITION. 